Genus and species: Verbena hybrida.
Variety denomination: xe2x80x98Lan Redxe2x80x99.
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of verbena, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Lan Redxe2x80x99. The new cultivar is asexually reproduced from vegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross of the seed/pod parent 99-971-2, a scarlet orange proprietary line that is unnamed and unpatented xc3x97xe2x80x98Tukana Scarletxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,578 Apr. 23, 2002), a dark red commercial line.
xe2x80x98Lan Redxe2x80x99 is a product of a planned breeding program intended to create new verbena cultivars with red colored flowers, dark green foliage, vigorous growth and low trailing habit.
The new cultivar was created in 2000 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands; Guatemala over a two year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.